Winter Storm Hercules Precedes Tyson ESPN2 Friday Night Fights Card
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent
Frosty the Snowman better not cancel tonight’s scheduled televised ESPN2 Friday Night Fights eight bout card, featuring the International Boxing Federation Super Featherweight World title bout between Argenis Mendez and Rances Barthelemy at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The card is produced by Warriors Boxing and Iron Mike (Tyson) Productions. Iron Mike Tyson is in attendance at the televised card.
Winter Storm Hercules is first major snowstorm of 2014. It began doing its damage across from the Great Lakes through the Northeast and New England on Thursday night, January 2, 2014, running into Friday, January 3, 2014. The storm continued to unleash its wrath as it moved Eastward, with some winds reaching 45 miles an hour. Snow emergencies were declared in St. Paul, Minneapolis, West St. Paul and Mendota Heights. The Twin Cities got a taste of the season’s first subzero weather, as temperatures dropped into the single digits, with winds gusting up to 30 miles per hour. Snowfall in Minnesota ranged from eight inches to three feet in different parts of the state.
Dominican Republic IBF World Super Featherweight champion Mendez, 21-2-1 with 11 knockouts, Brooklyn, New York, will be making the second defense of the title he won by a fourth round knockout over Juan Carlos Salgado in California in March 2013. He defended the belt with a controversial 12 round draw against challenge Arash Usmanee in August 2013.
Cuban challenger Barthelemy, 19-0, 12 knockouts, Miami, Florida, is the former Cuban National Junior Champion. His second trip to Minneapolis will not be a social call, having knocked out Fahsai Sakhreerin in the second round of the IBF eliminator bout in June 2013 at the Convention Center in Minneapolis, to earn the IBF’s top ranking position.
In the preliminary to the main event, BoxRec number ten worldwide middleweight Caleb Truax of Osseo, Minnesota, 23-2, 14 knockouts, will fight Ghana journeyman Ossie Duran, 28-11, with 11 knockouts, Paterson, New Jersey. Duran is a fighter who has received many golden opportunities but who never seems to win the big fight, having lost decisions to such big names James Kirkland, Fernando Guerrero, David Alonso Lopez, Brandon Gonzales, Avtandil Khurtsidze and Sergey Stepkin in the past ten years. Duran does hold wins over such names as Matt Vanda, Latif Mundy, Jamaal Davis, Marcos Primera (who beat current middleweight contender Curtis Stevens) and Jonathan Reid, Duran should prove an interesting test for Truax before getting stopped in the later rounds. Duran actually beat Primera two months before Primera stopped Stevens, and could go the ten distance if Truax allows him to excessively hold throughout the contest.
In other undercard bouts: lightweight Tony Lee faces Willshaun Boxley in an eight rounder; light middleweight Javontae Starks faces Limberth Ponce in a six rounder; lightweight Adrian Martinez faces Trevor Marmonin a four rounder; welterweight Nate Richardson faces Damien Hill in a four rounder; super featherweight Dennis Galarza faces Celiel Castillo in a four rounder; and Erickson Lubin faces Luis Santiago in a four rounder.
Mike Tyson breaks up Fight!
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